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"Thunder" Dan Palyo of RotoBaller.com provides his top fantasy football running backs and wide receivers to anchor for DFS lineups for Week 4 of the fantasy football season.
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This piece looks at the top running backs or wide receivers to build your cash or tournament lineups around. Most weeks, I will recommend two running backs and two wide receivers who you can use as building blocks, but occasionally, a tight end sneaks in here, too.
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RBs and WRs to Build Around - Week 4
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our premium DFS coverage of the NFL! Each week, my team and I try to give you every possible edge that we can when you build your DFS lineups for Sunday's main slate.
Week 3 Review
Robinson-Williams-Allen-Odunze
Bijan was a big letdown, and I ended up pivoting off Williams in cash, which was a good thing as Dallas got trounced. Allen and Odunze were solid, both having decent days and finding the end zone.
Week 3 Strategy
We are back to "jam in CMC" on this slate, and the value is starting to dry up this time of year, so it will be harder to fit more than another 1 or 2 high-priced studs into builds without punting. He feels more necessary on DK than FD, but you probably can't go wrong anchoring your build with him either way.
DFS Anchors - Running Backs
Christian McCaffrey (SF) at JAX
CMC has been the model of consistency this year, due to his massive workload. He's gone over 20 DK points in all three games, thanks to his receiving points. His 38% opportunity share (targets + carries) is the highest in the league, and it doesn't seem like it's about to slow down any time now with the Niners offense continuing to function with minimal weapons. George Kittle remains out, but Jauan Jennings could return this week to help McCaffrey and Ricky Pearsall carry the load.
The matchup on the ground is above average against Jacksonville, but again, it's the receiving yards and receptions that give McCaffrey a massive floor. If he finds the end zone this week, he could easily finish as the RB1.
Omarion Hampton (LAC) at NYG
It's officially Omarion Hampton week. The dynamic rookie had his biggest game of the season last week, and we witnessed Najee Harris get carted off with his season now over. The committee is no longer, and Hampton should see more touches going forward out of necessity, if anything (he arguably deserved them anyway, too).
Hampton was nearly as good out of the backfield as a receiver (59 yards) as he was as a runner (70 yards) in last week's win and now gets a matchup with the 32nd-ranked Giants' run defense.
The Chargers have been more pass-heavy than we anticipated to start the season; however, I think some of that was dictated by their opening matchup against the Chiefs' stout run defense. While Justin Herbert has been ultra-efficient in the passing game and has many viable options this year, Coach Harbaugh is still going to want to establish the run, especially when he knows that it's the Giants' weakness.
I think the Chargers dominate this one, even on the road, so I am leaning into Hampton and the run game as it could be a perfect game script for him if they build an early lead. Let's not forget that the Giants are starting rookie QB Jaxson Dart and that he could struggle or force some turnovers that lead to short fields, and more scoring opportunities for the Charger offense.
Honorable Mention: James Cook vs. New Orleans
DFS Anchors - Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Puka Nacua (LAR) vs. IND
Puka has been the CMC of the receiver position. He's averaging 26.5 DK points so far this year and has gone for 25 or more in each game. He's been a target monster and one of the most efficient receivers in the league. He's second in the NFL in YPRR (yards-per-route run), and his volume has not been negatively affected by the arrival of Davante Adams.
We want exposure to this Rams-Colts game as it has the highest total on the board, and while Kyren Williams is my smash GPP pivot for tournaments, Puka is the guy with the incredibly high floor that we want in cash. The only other receiver on this slate who is even close to as reliable as Nacua is Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has been on fire the last two weeks after busting in Week 1.
It's a relatively weak slate for top receivers, so expect DFS players to pay up for Nacua in cash, and you should, too.
Jakobi Meyers (LV) vs. CHI
We aren't worried about Tre Tucker eating into Meyers' production two weeks in a row. Tucker's huge 3-TD game was most likely an anomaly, and while he's still going to be a "thing" in Las Vegas this year, Meyers should still command the most targets in the passing game.
Meyers had a decent day at the office in terms of yardage last week, but caught only three passes and failed to score, while Tucker scored thrice. I think we see some positive regression for Meyers this week as he faces a Bears team that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing slot receivers. Meyers hasn't lined up exclusively in the slot, but he's been there around 45% of the time, with his other snaps coming out wide.
His four targets last week were oddly low, considering he was targeted 10 and 12 times in the Raiders' first two games. The only good thing about his lackluster game in Week 3 is that it helped to suppress his price going into Week 4, and now he's an excellent bargain.
I have no hesitation clicking Meyers in cash games; he's at least 1000 bucks too cheap on both sites for his role in the Raider passing game. This game against the Bears could easily shoot out, and Meyers has a pretty high ceiling to go along with a solid floor if that happens.
Honorable Mention: Zay Flowers at Kansas City
Good luck to everyone in your contests! Don't forget that you can chat with me and other NFL analysts in our new premium RotoBaller DISCORD at any point during the week or hit me up on X @ThunderDanDFS.
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